Signed and Sealed (13 page)

It was after eleven when Mrs. Coleman said her good-nights and left Will reading in the living room. When he was sure Mrs. Coleman was upstairs, Will moved to the piano and began a string of sad and mournful selections. This would be his last night of peace, and this would be the last night that he would be able to use the piano as a release. He couldn’t play if Elijah were around. He would see through him too quickly and would certainly use Will’s weakness to his advantage. As much as he pretended to believe him, Will knew that Eli was simply trying to put him enough at ease that he would trip up. The unfortunate thing, he conceded, was that if Eli continued pursuing him, there was a chance he might accidentally do something out of character. There was a chance Will could forget that it was all a game with him and might try to own the fantasy he was weaving. With this thought bearing down on him, he began playing the funeral dirge with depth and determination. He finished with a dramatic pounding of the keys, and it was then that he realized he was not alone.

“Are you really as sad and hopeless as your music would imply?

He turned abruptly to see Elijah relaxing in one of the chairs with a glass of wine in his hand. Will had no idea how long he’d been there watching him. He stiffened and slowly closed the piano and stood up. “Good night.” He was going to say nothing more. Eli saw, he heard, he knew, he didn’t need any words from him trying to explain or deny. He was tired, and he was going to bed.

“You can’t run away, sweetheart,” he said and placed his drink on the table before getting up to follow him.

Will stopped at the foot of the stairs and faced him. He didn’t want Eli following him to his room. That wouldn’t do. “Yes, I am sad and hopeless. There. Can I go to bed now?” He was dangerously sarcastic.

Eli stared at him with humor, ease, and admiration in his expression. “So why were you playing such dire and depressing tunes?”

“Mrs. Coleman told me you were returning in the morning,” he said, hitting back.

“Thoughts of me inspire the funeral dirge?” He started laughing and pulled Will into his arms for a firm squeeze. “I missed you. I missed you quite a lot. My days were not the same without your sharp tongue and… your hard body.” He kissed Will on the top of his head and let his hand slide down his body, molding him to him. “Didn’t you miss me, William?” he teased.

Will didn’t know what to say. He was busy fighting his reactions to Eli’s embrace and feared he might say the wrong thing. In the end he decided to tell him the truth. “If I say that I missed you, then you will believe that I am simply trying to work my way into your affections and your bank account. If I say no, then you may take offense and decide to forego any agreements and take my property.” He leaned back from him in order to look in his eyes. “I don’t know what to say to you that would be acceptable.”

Eli simply stared at him for a few moments before responding. “For now, I will accept your indecision.” Eli marveled at his honesty. It would have been easy for Will to simply say yes or no, but he told him the truth, even though it highlighted his own vulnerability. Ask Will a direct question, and you will either get silence or the truth, but you will never be told a lie.
Now if only he would trust me the way I have grown to trust him.
“I will ask you again later, and then I want a definitive answer, either yes or no.” He laughed but he was completely serious. He let Will go and stepped back. “Good night, sweetheart, I’ll see you in the morning.”

He watched Will as he ascended the stairs. Will glanced back several times with a look of chagrin, but said nothing more. Eli had learned a lot about him these past few days. He had spoken with several contacts who had dug up a considerable amount of information for him. He had learned that Will had excelled in school, was highly thought of by everyone who knew him, and that no one could understand why his parents treated him the way they did. He’d been cleaning up his sister’s messes for years and had never asked for or received anything in return except more grief.

Eli had returned early from the business meeting because he hadn’t attended the business meeting. He’d left Martin to handle whatever arose and gone off to Michigan to speak with the lawyer who handled the Drakes’ last will and testament. He also met with some of the extended family and old business acquaintances. The lawyer had given him a copy of the will. It hadn’t been entirely legal, but wealth and connections do at times come in handy. Eli had not read it. He felt it was not his business, but he wanted William to read it—no matter what it said, Will needed to see it if he wanted to move on with his life. The lawyer also gave him a strong box that was locked. Apparently his parents had left him the box and its contents, but he had never accepted it. The lawyer had tried on several occasions to deliver it, but William kept putting him off.
What does he fear?
Eli wondered.

Elijah was acting very strange tonight
, Will thought as he readied himself for bed. His manner was playful and easy even after he insulted him.
He’s planning something
, he concluded. “Tomorrow will bring another battery of tests, no doubt,” he mumbled and pulled the blankets up to cover his head.

The
knock was hard. It sounded as if the door might give way if the knocking persisted. Will woke with a start and sat up in bed. “Come in.”

“Did I wake you?” Elijah strode in with that same smile.

Will squinted up at him. “Yes, but I should be getting up anyway.” 

“Good… pull yourself together and have breakfast with me.” His smile remained, and his eyes traveled over him several times. “Meet me in an hour,” he stated hopefully. Will nodded.

Will went through the motions of showering and dressing, his mind in another time, in another state. Last night, for some reason, he had begun to think about his parents’ will. Elijah had put the idea in his head that perhaps he should read it; perhaps there were things in it which he should be aware of. Finally, Will pushed it all from his mind; the pain of the past was too much right now. He had other matters to deal with—his parents and his past could wait. Right now he needed to find a way to get away from the Hunters and still keep his home.
So many games, so many tests. Will I pass them all? Or will I somehow fail and lose everything?
The pressure was so intense; he found that he woke this morning with a pounding headache.

It concerned him, how easily Elijah was able to read him and get under his skin. Will would have to guard himself much more carefully than he was already doing if he wanted to leave here unscathed. His thoughts then roamed to the evening of the proposal.

Elijah’s proposal was preposterous, but for a few moments he had been taken in. Eli had admitted it was just a test to see how desperate Will was, but he had sounded so sincere… or maybe Will just wished it so.
I must keep in mind that men like Elijah Hunter don’t fall in love with ordinary guys like me.
He could have and probably had had every man he ever wanted. There was no rational explanation for why Eli would pursue him except that he wanted retribution.
He wants to make us pay, somehow, some way, and painfully.
He considered all the ways Eli could hurt him if he allowed himself to fall in love with him. The thought caused him to physically shudder, and his headache intensified.

Eli was waiting for him at breakfast. Will looked in the mirror and saw a very worried and tense individual. It had been nearly one hour since Eli’d left, and he had just now finished getting dressed. Would he wait longer than an hour or would he just leave? Will wasn’t sure why this concerned him.

It was almost an hour and a half before he finally made his way to the kitchen. He didn’t immediately see Elijah so he thought he had probably left. “Good morning, Mrs. Coleman,” he said as cheerfully as he could.

“Good morning, William.” Mrs. Coleman quickly poured him a cup of coffee.

“Thank you.” He took a long drink and savored it. “Tastes wonderful,” he commented.

“May I get you some breakfast?” Mrs. Coleman asked.

“No, thank you. The coffee is all I need.” He smiled and took another drink. “The coffee I make at home never tastes this good.”

“It’s the well water. Makes it smoother, I think,” Mrs. Coleman said and sat down with William at the table. “Elijah had to leave,” she remembered after a few moments. “He was waiting for you, but there was a problem of some sort that he had to attend to. He asked me to apologize for him.”

“Sure, that’s fine,” Will told her. “It makes no difference.” Will appeared unaffected, but that was far from how he was feeling.
Why is it upsetting me that Elijah didn’t wait? Why should I care? It’s all just one big test, a game.
He had to be careful and remember not to take anything as truth.

“He is rarely ever in the house at this time. I was so surprised to see him here waiting for you.” Mrs. Coleman was attempting to reassure him of his interest, or so Will assumed. “He is very taken with you, William.”

“I doubt that,” he stated too coldly. “He’s just entertaining himself at my expense.”

Mrs. Coleman’s expression was shocked. “Elijah is certainly not entertaining himself,” she stated firmly. Will was confused as to why Mrs. Coleman would take offense at his comment.

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Will interjected.

“I’m not offended.” Mrs. Coleman stood and refilled Will’s mug. “Elijah cares for you. I have known him most of his adult life, and I can tell you that he has never treated anyone the way he treats you. He wants to get to know you better. He’s truly sorry for believing you and Katrina were in on the blackmail scheme together. He knows that you are innocent, and believe me, William, his are not the actions of a man entertaining himself.” Mrs. Coleman made her point clearly, but Will was still not buying the package.

Of course she would defend him. He was her employer, and she had a lot of respect for him. She would justify anything that he said or did, so Will decided to change the subject.

Will asked if there was anything that he could help her with, but Mrs. Coleman assured him that everything was taken care of and that he should perhaps tour the grounds and get a better perspective of the ranch and the people who lived here.
Obviously she doesn’t like my current perspective
, Will thought, as he took her advice and went for a walk.

The air was fresh and clean, and the sun shone brightly. It was a beautiful day. Will was walking past one of the outbuildings when he noticed a young man running toward him, and he stopped to let him catch up.

“Mr. Hunter would like you to meet him in the large stable,” he said and pointed toward the building to which he should go.

“Why?” Will asked, unconcerned. He refused to be at Elijah’s beck and call.

“Not my business, sir,” he responded casually, but with a small grin. He then tipped his hat and headed in that direction.

He expects me to follow him
, Will thought stubbornly.
It’s not going to happen,
he stated to himself as he headed in the opposite direction. “If Mr. Hunter wants to see me, then he can come to me. Besides, as far as he’s concerned, I’m just an angry, bitter, isolated brother of a blackmailer. He doesn’t trust me or respect me, so why try to kiss up now? Everything I say or do will be held against me,” he said loudly to the empty path in front of him. His thoughts continued to rage on about Elijah’s condescending and controlling attitude until he found himself at the edge of a small stream. Checking his watch, he realized that he’d been walking in one direction for nearly forty minutes.

I might as well rest for a bit before heading back
, he thought and found a comfortable tuft of grass beneath a large willow tree to relax. It felt so good to be by himself with no one watching, no one judging. The sound of the rushing water over the rocks and the wind through the treetops lulled him into closing his eyes, and gradually sleep overtook him.